The lion and the broken paw
by MariSeverus
Summary: Minerva McGonagall feels sick during vacations and checks her health with a doctor. News are coming during the school term and she wonders if she can deal with it alone. But everyone needs a friend at some point. Inspired on the breast cancer of Maggie Smith.
1. Prologue

**EDIT: I MERGED THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS AND CALLED THEM: _PROLOGUE._**

Hello, I will try to write an idea that I got, inspired on Maggie Smith and the breast cancer she had during the filming of Harry potter. She is my inspiration and I want to dedicate it to her. I need a beta and I know that, but it seems that I can't find someone that wants to help me. If anyone wants to, please let me know.

My first chapter had a beta, my friend May. Sorry for the mistakes if I made them or May did. And also, sorry if it's too short. I was afraid of my english since I speak spanish and I am from Venezuela.

Disclaimer: Nothing it's mine. Everything that you can recognize, belongs to JK. Rowling. This fan fic is just for fun and I don't expect to win anything with it.

Fic title: **The lion and the broken paw.**

Summary: Minerva McGonagall feels sick during vacations and checks her health with a doctor. News are coming during the school terms and she wonders if she can deal with it alone. But everyone needs a friend at some point.

**xoxo**

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><p>After ending the school term, Minerva McGonagall found herself in a huge dilemma.<p>

She couldn't explain what was wrong at all; the sensations inside her body led her to believe that there was something different.

She felt much more tired than usual and also felt her surroundings falling apart. She loved the summer breaks after school, drinking some tea at her cottage and enjoying the sunlight over the beautiful and green grass around her tiny house. Summer was her favorite time of the year. She could do some house chores and also take some time for herself and do some deep thinking. But something kept telling her that it would change and that she wouldn't enjoy it at all, like she used to.

She thought about it and came to the conclusion that visiting a mediwitch wouldn't be a good option if she wanted to keep it personal. Albus would worry immediately, stopping her from teaching or even stopping her from going back to the castle.

It was her health, sure a cold or something. What else it could be? She was a bit old... - just a bit- but as strong as the eldest tree of the castle. She knew she would be fine and that she only needed a routine check.

She wasn't quite sure that it was the best solution for her problem, but she thought that a muggle doctor would help to keep her "problem" in secret. She didn't wanted to make a huge scandal of her health and actually, she was pretty sure that it was just a cold or stress for all the work in the school. Maybe she needed long vacations, but she had a responsibility with Gryffindor and also, she had the responsibility of protect all the other kids as the deputy headmistress she was.

Probably she was too old to do that kind of job, but it was too late now. Too late for surrender, if the darkness was around the corner.

She had so much time without leaving her cottage to visit a muggle town, that she felt very uncomfortable by walking through the streets. She wasn't sure about the latest fashion in London, so she thought about transfigure her robes into a pair of jeans and a very Scottish plaid shirt. She could transform herself into a cat but for some unknown reason, she felt really exhausted for make such powerful magic like that.

Walking seemed to be the best option, perhaps taking the subway since her home was a bit far from the big city of London. Oh... she was so lost! She had so much time without do something like that, since she was a young girl.

But there wasn't time for any doubts, if she wanted to keep her image intact. The magical community was a bit more tiny than the whole muggle world and she was pretty sure that soon or late, Albus would find out the truth.

The subway seemed full of people coming and leaving. She thought about the first thing she had to do and then she decided to look to the others and copy them. Money, she had to buy a ticket for the train and ask for some directions to land safely.

A hospital in London, she thought she once read it on a muggle newspaper. Cases of a weird disease that she thought Snape could cure with just a simply potion.

"Excuse me"- Minerva said to a policeman before enter in the train station- "I'm afraid that I'm a bit lost and I would like to know if there is any station near to a hospital in London."

The policeman seemed to consider her question and she had some time to observe her surroundings. Muggles always seemed into a very chaotic life, moving all the time without any rest.

"Yes" - the policeman said finally - "There is a station that could leave you, madame, closer to a hospital in London. A couple of blocks down, after taking the train of the station 4."

"Station 4, go it" - she replied with a tiny smile - "Thank you so much".

She looked at the machine with the tickets at the entrance of the station and smiled softly. The price changed just a bit since she was a child. Just a few coins more.

Muggle money, she was glad that she saved them with the time. After buying a ticket, she looked to her surroundings again and noticed a huge map in a wall next to her. She used to hate those maps when she was young, because they were so confusing. Now she thought they were so easy to read and that there wasn't any reason for getting lost in the subway.

"Station 4, downstairs," she read with a smile. This probably would be a fun trip and she would see so much of what she stopped seeing while growing up and discovering that she was a witch.

But getting downstairs ended being a huge effort. She felt suddenly exhausted and trapped with all these muggles going to the same destination as her. The station was full of people and she could hear tiny voices, kids, talking and yelling. Typical.

"Just breathe and everything will be over soon," she told to herself, trying to keep the composure. She hated the heat in the subway and also hated the crowds around her. She liked big and open spaces where she could hear her own thoughts and where she could, at least, think without any interruption.

_Station 4- London Center. Please keep yourself in the yellow line till the train stops._

The train landed making so much noise and bringing so much wind with it. She had few people in front of her and she took deep breaths preparing herself to be pushed inside. If it was like she used to remember, she had to enter quickly and find a seat if she wanted to have a comfortable trip.

And after getting inside without too much effort, she started to feel a bit better. The cold air inside of the train felt refreshing and she could finally sit and relax for a bit. Yes, she was too old for those kind of trips.

She distracted herself with the view in the window next to her seat and suddenly she started to feel sleepy and tired again. Minerva closed her eyes just for a few minutes and all her surroundings, became just tiny lights and few sounds. She didn't noticed it, but she fell asleep immediately.

Why she was so damn tired? Why she couldn't even keep her eyes open? Few weird dreams came to her mind in form of nightmares with death eaters trying to chase her and Lord Voldemort, invading the castle.

Minerva woke up startled, few minutes later, to realize that her stop was finally there. She stood up quickly and walked through people, to reach the stairs and go out from the subway.


	2. Behind the truth

Hullah ;)! Again here and now with the beautiful help of Metalbender-Lin that offered for help me with my english (and I made so many mistakes thehehehe). But I am glad that she could understand my ideas and that she didn't suffered too much with it :O.

I am glad that she liked the chapter and that there is, still, nice people that help you to be a better person and to learn new things! :D. I do hope that you like our chapter and say thanks to her because you can read it and understand it. I wish I could find a way to pay all her effort! But if you review this fic, you will help me to give thanks to her. Please** R&R**! ;D.

**Note:** _Since I am very silly sometimes, I tend to read the chapter to avoid mistakes (read the beta chapter, few times before post), but sure I make mistakes. If you see any mistake, isn't the beta ;)._

**xoxo**

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><p>The hospital was much fartherthan what she expected and after a few minutes of walking to her final destination, she had take a break and breath deeply. Yes, something was definitely wrong with her. Why was she so tired she could not even walk for a while without taking breaks? Was she really in such a bad shape?<p>

She continued walking through the streets, suffering from the heat and struggeling through all the muggles walking past her. Minerva could perfectly understand why Severus hated being around muggles, they were so different from witches and wizards…

But she had to deal with it for now.

The hospital seemed to be a lotlarger than what she expected from the newspaper. "_Obviously"_, -she thought to herself- "_it had to be..."_

"May I help you, madame?" – Minerva heard a male voice once she was inside, close to where she was standing. She wondered why but then she realized that she was standing in the middle of the main door, blocking the way for people who wanted to go in and out. She stepped away and smiled softly, apologizing for her mistake. The man, dressed in a white coat, smiled back at her and laid a hand on one of her shoulders. – "Is there something that I can do for you, madame?" – he asked again and Minerva nodded silently.

"Thank you - yes, please, you can. I need a doctor for a diagnosis. I'm afraid that I have been feeling really sick for the past couple of days and I would like to know if…" - she stopped for a few seconds, thinking in what to say. – "if there is something wrong. _Wrong with me_…"

"Oh well." – the man smiled again. – "It seems that today it's you lucky day, then." – he said and she blinked, a bit surprised. – "Lunch hour, but I will skip that today".

"Oh you don't have to! I can wait if it's needed." – she replied at him but the young man insisted. He had a short black hair and seemed to be in his 30's.

"It's alright, I eat the same everyday anyways and I'm getting tired of turkey sándwiches. At least this way I will do something different."

He pointed to his office and Minerva smiled, inwardly being extremly thankful that it was on the same floor. She was too damn tired to even move a foot. After entering his office, the young man sat on a chair behind a medium sized desk and invited her to use the other chair in front of him. It was a bit dark, the courtains were half closed, but she still could see thanks to her animagus form and her sensitive eyes. He apologized immediately about the darkness inside and got up to open them a bit more.

"I am sorry, I haven't introduced myself." – he said after sitting back again. – "My name is Ian and there is no need for you to know my last name, madame. You can call me Ian, if you'd like."

"Thank you, mister - Ian."- she said and looked around. If he had an office he was a doctor.- "Should I think that I am talking to a doctor?"

"Well, actually, I thought that the white coats where too obvious." – he said with a short laugh.- but apparently I was wrong about that fact."

"I am sorry." – Minerva said, apologizing and blushing softly. – "I'm afraid that I'm too old and I have spent so much time without…"

"Going out?" – he asked . – "OH well, welcome to this world!" – he said with another smile. – "you haven't missed too much and things are getting a bit worse these days. Good that a beautiful woman like you, madame, stayed safe at home."

She didn't know what to say, so she decided to distract herself with her surroundings again. The typical beds for patients and all the typical stuff that she thought she would find on a hospital. Noticing her reaction, the doctor cleared his troat and caught her attention again.

"So, madame, can you tell me your full name, please? I'm afraid that I have some paperwork to do. " – he said with another tiny smile. – "And age, also?"

"Minerva McGonagall. " – she said softly. – "and my age, well…"

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't neccesary." – he said. – "but since I need to exermine you…"

"64." – she said a bit hesitant.

"And what brings you here?" – the doctor asked. – "The symptoms?"

"I'm not exactly sure." – Minerva admitted. – "I feel tired all the time now, also I feel a weird… heavyness? On my… my chest."

Yes, her _chest_. Why she didn't thought about it before? Well, she wasn't one of those that liked to do explorations and see their bodies on mirrors and stuff like that. But she could feel it, a weird pain in one of her breasts. Or was something else?

"What do you mean by heavyness in your chest?". – he asked, curious. – "like… inside or?"

Merlin, that was so damn awkward! Actually it had been quite some time since she allowed a man touch her body or even see her!

"No, I don't think inside… or maybe, yes. But I mean, it feels different. One of my…" - she said, awkwardly. – "one of my… my… breasts, feels different. Now that I think about it."

The face of the doctor in front of her, showed nothing else than understanding. Yes, he knew where that conversation would end.

"I think I know what the problem is, but we still have to make some tests, to make sure. I will not rushto any conclusion yet and I will talk to you once I'm sure of my diagnosis, madame."

She bit her lower lip and nodded in silence.

"Now, madame, I will have to ask you to go over to this cabin and change from your street clothes into this here. It covers much more than what it shows, so don't worry about it. – he said, offering her a kind of gown and pointing to a door inside the office. – "take your time, I can wait".

She had spent so much time without letting a man touch her. It was ridiculous because he was only a doctor and had no intentions whatsoever, but still... - she willed her mind off her awkwardness. She started to tremble, thinking of all the possible diagnosis. What if she was very sick and about to die?


End file.
